Alcohol poisoning

Alcohol poisoning can happen if you drink alcohol more quickly than your body is able to process it – and it can be very dangerous.

Drinking alcohol very quickly can lead to alcohol poisoning, which can be extremely dangerous.¹

The amount that can cause alcohol poisoning depends on a person’s age, sex, size, weight, how fast they have been drinking, how much they have eaten, their general health, and whether they have taken medication or drugs.^2,3

Alcohol poisoning can reduce your body temperature – risking hypothermia, cause vomiting (with a risk of choking), lead to a heart attack or a fit, or cause you to stop breathing.⁴ Tragically, accidental alcohol poisoning was the cause of 558 deaths in the UK during 2023.⁵

This guide explains the causes, signs and symptoms, what you can do to stay safe, and how you can help others.

There is no minimum amount of alcohol that could cause alcohol poisoning.

What causes alcohol poisoning?

Alcohol is a toxic substance.⁶ That means it can cause harm and every time you drink, your liver has to filter it out of your blood to keep your body working properly.

It takes an average adult around an hour to process one unit of alcohol which in theory means there’s none left in their bloodstream, although this varies a lot from person to person.⁷

Drinking a lot in a short space of time increases the concentration of alcohol in the blood. Alcohol poisoning happens if the concentration of alcohol reaches a dangerous level that stops the body from working properly.⁸

Both men and women can be affected, however women tend to have higher blood alcohol levels after drinking the same amount of alcohol as men, so may be at greater risk of alcohol poisoning.⁹

Signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning

Recognising the signs and knowing what to do could help save someone’s life – remember, if they have alcohol poisoning, they won’t be able to help themselves.

Someone may have only had a few drinks, or they could have had several, but this alone isn’t a reliable indicator of likely alcohol poisoning. Signs and symptoms to look out for:¹⁰

Confusion
Severely slurred speech
Loss of co-ordination
Vomiting
Irregular or slow breathing
Pale or blue-tinged skin caused by low body temperature
Being conscious but unresponsive
Passing out and being unconscious
Loss of bladder or bowel control

If you think someone might be experiencing alcohol poisoning – even if you have doubts – place them on their side in the recovery position and call 999 for an ambulance.

What does drinking a lot of alcohol at one session do to your body?

Drinking a lot in a short space of time can:¹¹

Slow down brain functions, and stop your sense of balance working properly
Irritate your stomach, which can cause vomiting
Dangerously affect the body’s systems that control your breathing and heartbeat
Dehydrate your body, which risks brain damage in severe cases
Lower your body temperature, which can lead to hypothermia
Lower your blood sugar levels, risking fits or brain damage

Tips to stay safe and in control

Set a limit

Avoid drinking a lot in the first place

Eat a meal

A healthy meal before drinking can help slow down the absorption of alcohol, but certainly doesn’t mean it's safe to drink a lot^12,13

Alternate your drinks

Make sure to drink water or soft drinks to slow down the rate you’re drinking and help limit the amount of alcohol you have

Have a plan

If you’re out, make sure your phone is charged and you have a plan to get home

Stick with your friends

Incidents and injury are more likely if you’re on your own

It’s ok to ask if they’re ok

Look out for others

How to help someone showing signs of alcohol poisoning¹⁴

Try to keep them awake and sitting up
Give them some water to sip (and nothing else), if they can drink it
Lie them on their side in the recovery position if they’ve passed out, and check they’re breathing properly
Keep them warm
Stay with them and monitor their symptoms

Alcohol poisoning: what NOT to do

Never leave someone alone to sleep it off

The amount of alcohol in someone’s blood continues to rise even when they’ve stopped drinking because the digestive system carries on absorbing alcohol into the bloodstream.

Never give them a coffee

Alcohol dehydrates the body. Coffee will make someone who is already dehydrated even more so – in severe cases this can even cause permanent brain damage.

Never make them sick

Their gag reflex may not be working properly which means they could choke on their vomit.

Never walk them around

Alcohol is a depressant which slows down your brain’s functions and affects your sense of balance. Walking them around might cause accidents.

Never put them under a cold shower

Because moving a person with alcohol poisoning risks causing injury, it’s not a good idea to give them a shower. A cold shower is even worse – alcohol lowers your body temperature, which could lead to hypothermia. The best advice is to put them in the recovery position in the nearest safe place.

Never let them drink more alcohol

The amount of alcohol in their bloodstream could become dangerously high.

Drinking alcohol has a range of effects on our stomach and whole digestive system, find out more.

Is alcohol harming your stomach?

How to keep risks low

If you choose to drink, to keep short-term risks low (including alcohol poisoning, accidents or injury) the UK Chief Medical Officers’ advise it’s important to limit how much you drink on any single occasion – and to never binge drink. The technical definition for binge drinking is more than eight units of alcohol in a single session for males, or more than six units in a single session for females.¹⁵

The UK low risk drinking guidelines advise that it is safest for both men and women to drink no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days with several drink-free days, and no bingeing.¹⁶

Use our Unit and Calorie Calculator below to work out your units: